We Have a Werewolf for a Pet
by Steelcode
Summary: Macy Monroe was having a difficult time with moving away from her home town in New York City. However, when she ends up accidently running over a white and grey dog and taking care of it. Things seem to go better especially with the dogs strange antics. Sage belongs to me. While Macy Monroe and Tommy Monroe belong to Redbat132. Please no Flames.
1. A Boy At School and a Dog on the Road

Sage MacTire stood outside his back door smiling at the soft bit of snow that was falling outside. It was going to be fun to run in it. Sage was a werewolf he lived his father and mother in West Yellowstone, Montana. Frost was building on the outside of the door Sage sighed how he wished he could run right now.

"Sage you're going to be late." Sage's mother called.

"Alright." Sage replied grabbing his bag from the couch.

"Oh and don't forget your showing a new student today. So go straight to the principals' office." Sage's mother stated.

"Yes ma'am. I'll see you later." Sage said leaving and heading to his Silver Jeep Trailhawk and hopping in already enjoying the slight warmth. "Wonder what this new kid is like?"

Meanwhile, Monroe kids, Tommy and Macy, were packing their things and ready to leave.

Macy was unpacking her room while she's listening to music. She was annoyed with the move and preferred not to leave.

"Ugh. I can't believe this happening," she muttered.

Just then, her brother came in with excitement. "Woo-hoo! Come on, Sis! Adventure waits us!" Tommy exclaimed.

Macy groaned, finishing up her suitcase. "You know, I still don't know why you're happy about all of this. New York has been our first home."

"I know that. But we've been through everywhere here. There are so many exciting things waiting for us beyond this city! Might as well give it a try," Tommy reasoned.

Sighing in defeat, Macy got her suitcase and left with Tommy following. "I wish I'd believe you."

Sage yawned as he walked into the principal's office an hour later.

"Hello Sage. How are you this morning." the secretary asked

Sage smiled tiredly. "Good though I think I should be hibernating right now."

The secretary chuckled. "We all think that. So how can I help you?"

"Principal O'Donnell asked me to show a new kid around." Sage replied.

"Oh right she is actually on her way in should be a couple minutes."

Sage nodded taking a seat.

Soon, a brunette with short hair entered at her new school. She didn't seem happy nor enthusiastic about all this sudden change.

"Ah Miss Monroe I'm Miss Evans the secretary welcome to West Yellowstone High School. Now here is your schedule and locker and other paperwork for your parents to sign later. Now this is Sage MacTire he'll be showing you around today and if you have any questions please fill free to ask." Miss Evans said

Sage stood up and nodded to Macy. "Sage."

"Uh, hi. Nice to meet you," Macy gently said, trying not to sound rude.

"Let me guess not thrilled with a move to a small town?" Sage asked with a smirk.

"What makes you say that?" Macy questioned.

Sage smiled. "I've seen the look before. My best friend moved here from Hawaii. He was happier when he found a second way of surfing."

"Oh. Well, I'm not making promises that I'll get used to being here," Macy shrugged. "My first home wasn't as beautiful as Hawaii, but New York is still my home."

"Eh you never know. Anyway let's get to your locker then I'll help you with the classes. Positive side at least you made it hear before the blizzard." Sage replied.

"I guess. Honestly, I was hoping a blizzard would stop my family from moving so soon,"

"Kind of last minute?" Sage asked

"I don't care. I wish for anything to get us back home,"

"You know...home isn't necessarily the place...it's the people your family that's your home. A place can change, things can be replaced...but family...the love you have for them...that's always forever." Sage said stopping for a moment at a large staircase.

Macy just sighed. "I guess. Maybe you're right."

Sage smiled placing a hand on Macy's shoulder. "Listen if you want I can show you the town later. I bet you haven't tried some of our food...believe me you'll love our pizza."

"I'll be the judge of that," Macy remarked.

Sage smirked. "So what'd you move down here for?"

"Eh, just some job opportunity for my parents here," Macy shrugged.

Sage looked at her questionably. "New sheriff and new psychologist?"

"How'd you know?" Macy asked.

Sage smirked. "I'm the mayor's son. Kind of comes with a territory."

"Your dad is the mayor?!" Macy exclaimed

Sage shrugged. "Yep, but don't worry none of my family are the rich tycoon type. And I'm not one of those people who shows off their money."

"Good to know," she muttered.

"Oh come on seriously...soon as I tell you who my father is you're going to judge?" Sage asked.

"Wha-no! No! I'm not judging you!" Macy assured raising her hands in defense. "I believe what you say. It's just that I've never met the son of a Mayor before."

Sage smiled. "Hey I'm no different than any other teen. I like pizza, movies, books, music. My hobbies are hiking, photography, and drawing. I'm completely normal."

"Right. So, what exactly is like to be the son of a mayor?" Macy asked

Sage shrugged. "Other than going to fancy dinners once in a while it's kind of boring...more annoying at some points you know."

"Eh. That's pretty much what I was expecting," Macy shrugged. "Guess it's like this town. Not much excitement going on.

"Well we had a guy dance in the street with a taxidermy bear once." Sage said with a light chuckle.

"Not sure if I count that as exciting. More like weird,"

"Saturday night with a big game going on. Just another day here. You just have to take each day with each of its adventures and in turn make your own."

"I guess,"

"Come on let's go and get you set up. Then I'll tell you about some great trails around here." Sage said calmly.

* * *

Hours later, Macy left high school and went to her brother's new school to pick him up.

Sage sighed as he opened the front door to his house finding a note on the front door key rack and black board.

"Had to go in for an emergency. Your father is going to be in late. Mom." Sage read. "Eh looks like its bacon frittatas.

Back at the school, Macy heard the bell ring and watched many kids get out of school in such a hurry. It didn't take long for her little brother to show up.

"Hey, Sis!" Tommy waved.

"Hi, Tommy. Glad you're done. It's time get back home," Macy replied.

"Good idea! I heard that mom is making fried chicken tonight!"

Hours later after both families had eaten Macy's mother walked up to her eldest room lightly knocking at the door.

"Hey...how was it?" Mrs. Monroe asked.

"It was great!" Tommy answered.

"It was average," Macy replied mildly.

"Tommy dinner is almost ready go and wash up okay." Mrs. Monroe said calmly.

"Okay, mom!" Tommy hurried over to wash his hands.

Macy sighed and followed her brother the same way.

"Macy hold up a sec okay." Mrs. Monroe said. "Did something happen? You're not yourself."

"Nothing happened, mom. Just still getting used to all of this," Macy shrugged, stopping to talk to her mother. "I did meet the mayor's son, though. Sage MacTire."

Mrs. Monroe smiled. "What's he like? His mother was very helpful today while showing me around."

"Pretty much did the same thing his mom did for you. Nothing much,"

"Honey...I know this has been rough on you...and I'm sorry your father and I just felt like you and your brother would be safer here. That it'd be safer for him here. You know he always felt like he didn't spend enough time with you and Tommy."

"I know, mom. It's just going to be hard to get used to," Macy answered gently.

"Well maybe Sage can help." Mrs. Monroe said cupping her daughter's cheek.

Macy just shrugged, not really convinced.

"Well...how about after dinner we have a bowl of vanilla ice cream with Razzle Berry pie." Mrs. Monroe said.

"I guess that's-" Macy started

"MOM! MACY! I forgot my homework!" Tommy exclaimed, running back inside and interrupting Macy.

"What?! Tommy, how could you forget your homework?" Macy asked.

"Honey is it really important or can it wait till Monday?" Mrs. Monroe asked.

"It kind of is important. That homework is supposed to be due on Monday," Tommy answered.

Macy groaned while face palming. "Unbelievable. Mom, hold my dinner for a bit. Tommy and I are going back to his school to pick up his homework."

"Okay. You have the emergency kit and spare phone we told you to keep in your car?" Mrs. Monroe asked worriedly.

"I do. Don't worry, mom. It will be a quick trip there and back," Macy assured.

"The storms rolling in fast. Just be careful. Seatbelts." Mrs. Monroe said. "And heavy clothing."

"Mom! We know the drill! I'll text you when we get there and when we're leaving back home," Macy explained, already hurrying up with Tommy following his big sister's lead.

"Be safe." Mrs. Monroe called.

* * *

Meanwhile Sage stared outside his kitchen door watching as snow began to fall outside. He had finished a large meal but like any and all wolves he burned if off soon. Giving an annoyed sigh Sage opened the door and stepped outside into the snow, his breathe began to show as his hair moved in the light wind. Sighing Sage shifted to wolf form a large white wolf.

Swiftly he ran out enjoying the cold and feeling like a cub again as he raced into the woods.

Meanwhile, Macy was driving the road with the snow slightly rising. Luckily, they made it to the school in time and hurried inside to get Tommy's homework.

"Found it!" the young boy exclaimed, getting it out from his locker. "I accidentally left it inside."

"Yeah, good for you. I'm texting mom to know we got it and we're on our way back," Macy said, getting her phone out.

Sage barked at the snowflakes even playfully leapt at a couple before running off towards the slowly dispersing trees.

Moments later, Macy was now driving carefully through the snowy roads.

"Whoa, so much snow! I can't wait to play with it this weekend!" Tommy said, grinning at all of this.

"Save your excitement after we get back home safely," Macy lightly growled. "Ugh! Of all times to forget homework and be out in the middle of a bad storm."

Sage raced through the snow leaping over the already tall berms till abruptly large lights and a harsh feeling of something slamming sent him into darkness.

Macy leaned forward as her windshield blades swiped the frozen water that splattered her windshield. Just as she was coming around a turn a streak of white reflecting her headlights came out of nowhere and even with the slam of her breaks that had every part of his body aching, he still felt the thud of a collision.

With adrenaline pumping in panic mode, she jumped out of the car and ran around to the front to see what he had hit. To her horror a large dog was sprawled across the concrete, still with red slowly soaking through the white and grey fur.

"Oh, my Lady Liberty! Please tell me I didn't kill a giant dog!" Macy exclaimed.

She looked around frantically but of course there was no one around to help her or offer her any advice. The animal didn't look mangy or unkempt so she knew it had to be someone's pet and not some kind of white wild wolf. Which made it worse, really. She scrambled to the dog's side and was relieved that it was still breathing though it was quick and shallow. Its leg was bent at an odd angle and the way it had fallen seemed unnatural. It definitely needed medical attention and quick.

She didn't have time to call for help, she was at least twenty minutes from the nearest vet which would mean nearly an hour round trip if she had to wait for someone. It might be dead by then.

Not being the neatest person alive, she dug through her car until he found one of her jackets and a hoodie that had been riding around with her. She took them as a makeshift blanket, wrapping them around the dog as best as she could and tried to lift her into the backseat of her car. The dog was huge now that she was trying to move it, surely standing taller than herself if it was up on its hind legs, and she was probably causing more harm than good with the way she had to drag onto the seat. It was her only option, though, and did her best before jumping back behind the wheel.

She called 4-1-1 for information on the nearest animal hospital and broke every speed limit and traffic rule in her rush to get there as quickly as possible. Luckily there was a 24 hour clinic that wasn't terribly far away and she made the drive in record time.

"You think he's going to be okay, Sis?" Tommy asked in concern.

"He has to, Tommy. Because if he doesn't, I'll never forgive myself," Macy replied.

Macy paced until the veterinarian came out to speak with her an Tommy and, even then, she couldn't stand still.

Fractured leg, internal bleeding, and flesh wounds. They all sounded terrible and she felt himself grow paler with each diagnosis. She still nodded along and agreed with any of the surgical options the vet presented her with. Anything that would save the dog's life. She'd even give them a down payment.

It was the longest wait of her life but when the vet finally came back with the news that he, the dog was male she'd been told, was out of surgery and so far doing well, it was such a relief. The dog needed to stay for observation overnight so she and Tommy were sent home and told she could come back in the morning to see if he was well enough to go home. The relief was short lived, however, when the blood on the pavement was still visible right before their turn into their driveway. There was no rest when she was still so worked up. She spent the night watching Netflix and watching the clock until it was time to head back into the clinic.

"Oh, why did I have to hurt an innocent animal? He probably belongs to someone and they're worried sick!" Macy thought, unable to shake of this guilt.

Mr. and Mrs. Monroe had been shocked when they heard about the dog and understood about what was needed for the dog. Both were very proud of their daughter for taking the responsibility to take care of the dog.

"You should go shopping and get some supplies for the dog, before you pick him up." Mr. Monroe said at Saturday morning breakfast.

"By what you said it's a good thing we bought a ranch house stairs wouldn't be a good thing. How big did you say he was?" Mrs. Monroe asked pouring Macy some orange juice.

"Like the size of a husky," Macy answered.

"He looks like a wolf! So cool!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Oh I doubt it's a wolf...now you best get going. We'll set him up in the living room for the time being." Mr. Monroe said folding his newspaper.

* * *

Half an hour later, Macy was a ball of nerves as she drove back to the clinic, wringing her hands as she waited for the vet to come out to talk to her.

"It was a little touch and go with the blood loss but he seems to be stable and doing well now," the vet started and Macy breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"He isn't micro chipped but considering his health and appearance, he looks like a well taken care of house pet. He's also been pretty docile the few times he's been awake but we've kept the muzzle on him just to be sure. He hasn't made any attempts to snap or growl at anyone yet," Macy nodded, chewing on her lip. "If you are comfortable with taking him home to start his recovery, I can keep my ears open for any reports of lost dogs in the area."

"Yea, I mean I can try my best to take care of him until I find his owner," Macy agreed. It was the least she could do after hitting the animal with his car after all.

"Could it be a wolf?" Tommy asked

" No." the vet said. "Based on his looks and characteristics I'd say he is some kind of Husky or Alaskan malamute mix. He's a little bigger than a Husky and his eyes aren't the color blue we usually see. It's hard to be sure."

Macy nodded along, anxiously shifting her weight and worrying her lip. At least it sounded like he was going to be okay.

"I'll have to run to the store to grab a few supplies first but if you think he'll be okay to leave…"

The vet agreed and sent Macy and Tommy on their way while he gathered together some aftercare and general information for them to take home.

At the store Tommy helped Macy pick out stuff for their new live in.

"I can't believe we're taking care of a wolf!" Tommy replied.

"Tommy, you heard the vet. It's not a wolf, just a rare Husky or Alaskan Malamute mix," Macy retorted.

"Whatever. He still looks pretty awesome. I can't wait to play with him,"

The Brunette gave her brother a look. "You know we're not keeping him, right? He probably belongs to another family."

"And what if he doesn't?" Tommy retorted.

"He has to! Besides, we can't keep a dog around. Our time here is already stressful as it is."

A few hundred dollars later and the duo were loading the middle of the Jeep with two fluffy beds, a large crate, dishes, collar, leash, and a few toys.

When they arrived back at the clinic, the vet's assistant took them back to one of the rooms where they had moved the big dog. Macy really needed to think of something to call him while she was taking care of him. She couldn't just call him dog or buddy the whole time.

It was a little upsetting to see the damage that she had caused there in front of her. The dog was laid out on his side, a thick cast covering one of his hind legs nearly up to his hip. Part of his belly was shaved with an incision that was stitched up and an IV trailing out of one of his front paws. The assistant was removing that as she looked and she realized she had been talking.

"I'm sorry, what?" she snapped out of her shock, looking over to the assistant.

"I was just saying that we've had him under some heavy pain medication since he came out of anesthesia so he will probably be a little groggy for at least the rest of the day. You'll want to make sure to keep him separated from any other animals in the house for at least 10 days and keep this cone on so he doesn't bite at his stitches. We've kept the muzzle on but you'll have to feel him out. He doesn't seem aggressive so I think you'll be fine to remove it once you get home. He probably won't be up to eating but you should try to encourage him to eat at least a little and call us if he hasn't eaten in 48 hours. Try to keep him calm and away from anything he can jump off or stairs. You can let him out for the bathroom but for at least the first few days, keep his activity to a minimum. He'll probably have a lot of pain so we'll send some medication with you. Let us know if you notice it making him sick. He had a minor rupture to his intestine which caused some bleeding but there haven't been any other complications. We also had to place several pins in his leg to stabilize the fracture so we'll schedule a follow up appointment on your way out."

It was so much information that Macy didn't think she caught much of it at all and hoped the information the vet had promised will refresh her memory once she was home. She still nodded along and, once the IV was removed and the spot above his foot bandaged, she moved forward to gently touch the white fur on the top of his head. It was surprisingly soft, something she hadn't even registered in her panic the night before, and she stroked it gently and watched as his eyes barely cracked open. The white muzzle looked uncomfortable and she knew she would be taking it off as soon as they were home. It felt cruel to leave it on for so long.

"I'm really sorry, boy. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll try to get you fixed up and healed and take really good care of you." It seemed like the dog was staring right through her and it made her a little nervous when she had to back away for the assistant to secure the cone around his neck.

"I'll bring him out in a minute if you want to go check out with the desk," she smiled brightly and she nodded as she swallowed hard and went back out to reception. Macy paid the bill, way too much money if you asked her, and collected the information she would need. By that time the assistant was leading the very drunk looking dog out by the collar and leash that Macy and Tommy had just purchased.

"You'll have to be careful with him for a while but he'll perk up soon," the assistant assured her as she passed over the leash. Macy nodded and, with her nerves building up, began to lead the big dog out towards her car. Standing up, she nearly reached Macy's hip which was good when the dog stumbled on his three good legs but also made her rethink her idea of removing the muzzle. If he was upset, it probably wouldn't take much for him to take Macy out.

It took more than a little coaxing but she finally was able to direct the dog into the backseat and went around to get behind the wheel. They were barely out of the parking lot when she heard whining and then a long and mournful howl. It wasn't very loud and almost musical in tone but so melancholy that it made guilt swirl up to clench her heart.

'Why is it that my time here is growing worse and worse?' Macy thought to herself, her nerves rising more and more. 'It's like the universe hates me and telling me that I don't belong here. I never had this kind problem back in New York. I wish I was there instead of dealing with this!'

"I'm sorry, buddy. I know it hurts. We'll have you home soon." Tommy said reaching back and stroking the dog's head it wasn't much for comfort but it was all that he could offer at the moment. "I wonder what your name is. I can't just call you buddy the whole time. You kind of look like a sled dog… would you like the name Snowy?" Tommy laughed when he swore he could hear the dog huff in annoyance at the suggestion, shaking his head fondly. "Okay, not Snowy. What about… Balto? He was a sled dog." The dog let out another huff and Tommy couldn't help but smirk.

"Okay, okay. I'll think of something better then."

Macy parked her car right in front of the door so the dog wouldn't have to hobble further than he had to. "You just wait here while we get your bed all made up, okay?"

Mrs. Monroe stepped outside and peered into the back of the car. "Oh he's gorgeous!"

The living room in front of the fireplace seemed to be the best place to set up a little recovery station since she could spend most of her time on the couch there anyway. Tommy tore the tags off the big round bed while his mother flipped on the gas fireplace for extra warmth. That was the easy part. Getting the animal out of the car was another story.

"Come on, I have a nice warm bed set up for you inside!" Macy tried to coax, pulling on the collar just enough to encourage the dog to get up. He just looked up lethargically with a groan, closing his eyes once again.

"I promise you can sleep as soon as you get inside! It's not even very far!"

Eventually the three had tugged the big animal far enough that his front half began to slide off the seat towards the ground and thankfully that perked him up enough to catch himself on his front paws. It was a drunken stagger from there, bumping into Macy's hip then nearly falling over the other way while Tommy tried to keep him upright. It almost felt like leading one of her friend's home from a night out on the town.

It was a relief to finally make it into the living room, directing the dog's body to collapse comfortably on the bed. He seemed to fall asleep almost immediately so Macy went out to carry the rest of his loot in. Mrs. Monroe washed the two dog bowls and filled one with water and the other with food, carefully carrying them to set down right next to the bed so they were easily accessible in case he got hungry or thirsty.

"Okay. I got everything set up for him," Macy announced.

"And I came prepared for when Macy has to handle his breakfast, lunch, and dinner outside" Tommy announced, handing Macy a giant shovel.

"Really? I don't think I signed up for being poop patrol. Why can't you do it?" Macy retorted, glaring at him.

"Because you're the one who ran over him,"

"TOMMY!" Macy nearly shouted, chasing after the laughing boy. "I'll show you what I'm gonna do with this shovel!"

When they heard a long whine come from the bed not far from their Tom and Jerry routine. The two looked over to see the animal still stretched out on his side, his rib cage expanding with his breath between each long pitiful whine.

"You're okay buddy," Tommy cooed, going over to kneel beside him, "I'm going to take this off now so please don't bite me."

"Tommy be careful..." Mrs. Monroe said from the island.

His fingers gently unhooked the buckle of the muzzle secured behind his head and pulled it off. The dog stretched his jaw open wide but made no move to snap at him, continuing his long whines a moment later. Macy sighed in relief plopping down on the couch

"Let's find you a name now, how about that?" Tommy spoke to him, grabbing his laptop from the couch. He sat cross legged on the edge of the dog bed while he pulled up a browser, typing in a search for dog names.

"Would you like a sled dog name? There are some interesting ones. White Fang might be fitting," he suggested and laughed when the dog seemed to disagree. "Or maybe I could just call you Husky? Hmmmm…." he looked along some of the lists, scanning his finger down each one but nothing stuck out to him.

Macy just crossed her arms and not looked at the dog. She still felt self-conscious about getting near him.

"Harley? What about Harley?" He could have sworn the dog rolled his eyes at him but didn't protest like he had to the others. "I guess Harley it is then. Until we find your owners, anyway."

'Yeah. I doubt that he looks like Harley,' Macy thought, already walking out of the room.

The young boy noticed and decided to follow.

"You've been awfully quiet, Sis. What do you think of the dog's name 'Harley'?" Tommy asked.

"I prefer not getting involved by answering that question," Macy stated dryly.

"Oh, come on! Just because you hit him, it doesn't mean you have to be so grumpy,"

Macy shot a glare on that statement. She hated the reminder of getting the dog hurt in the first place.

"You want an answer?! Fine! I think the name is too average for him. He's way too tough and rad to be called 'Harley'," Macy rolled her eyes on the name. "I would go for something cooler. Like Hunter. Or Blaze. Or maybe Saber. But he's not my dog. So what's the point?"

"Tommy lets settle on the name Saber till we find his owner. In the meantime why don't you go and watch a movie for a little while on your computer." Mrs. Monroe suggested seeing things escalate. Tommy grumbled but nodded.

"You must be exhausted," Tommy whispered gently, setting his laptop to the side and scooching forward to pet Harley's soft fur. "You really are a gorgeous animal, aren't you?"

Really, the animal was a gorgeous beast. His clean white fur only shifted to a light dusting of grey along his back and out to the tip of his tail almost like he had been frosted with it. It was smooth and soft along his whole body, save the small section they had shaved for his surgery. He was large but still elegant, long and strong instead of bulky, most of his mass made up by his thick coat. It was easy to imagine this creature running gracefully across the frozen tundra in one of the National Geographic documentaries they always had to watch in school and he could imagine that Saber's owners had spent a pretty penny for him.

"Alright. I should probably go work on my school work. It will at least keep me busy," Macy muttered, already going up to her room.

"Macy wait." Mrs. Monroe said. "Bring your homework down here then you can keep watch. Honey I know you're frustrated right now but taking it out on your brother isn't nice."

"I know. But he's the one always bringing it up. I'm already upset as it is," Macy replied.

Mrs. Monroe sighed. "Just come back to the living room and do your homework. I'll make a snack before I go out."

Most of the afternoon was spent much the same way. She searched for lost dog postings in between doing her homework while Saber snored nearby and it all felt so cozy. It was easy to imagine her lazy days filled with writing music and recording, just the sense of another being close to the dog made the house seem more like a home.

Saber began to whine around supper time, rubbing his head and the cone collar almost violently against the bed. Macy watched the struggle for barely five minutes before heart hurt and she was rushing over to calm the animal.

"Shhh, Saber its okay," she took the dog's face in her hands while he whined, looking up at her with sad eyes that seemed to portray far too many emotions for an animal. "If I take this off, you have to promise not to lick or bite your stitches. Do you promise?"

Macy and Tommy were startled a bit and stared down at Saber when he actually nodded in response to her question. Macy had to shake her head because surely it was just a coincidence. She took it as an answer anyway and carefully went about removing the cone.

"There you go," she rubbed the ring of fur where the cone had sat and watched as Saber's eyes drifted shut and seemed immediately more comfortable and relaxed. "Now don't get me in trouble with the vet for letting you out of the cone of shame early. Be a good boy."

The leather collar she had picked up was still around Harley's neck and she adjusted it to make sure it was on properly.

"Do you need to go outside? You've been in here all day. Do you have to go potty?" Tommy shifted to squat beside the large animal, attempting to gently help him up.

A loud yelp made him stumble back and fall onto his bum, watching with wide eyes as the dog howled and then whimpered, no doubt in terrible pain. He was just glad the reaction hadn't been to nip at him for causing it. That could have become ugly fast. Macy nearly ran to the kitchen and her nervous hands fumbled with the medication they had sent home with her for the pain, the pills dumping onto the counter in her rush while Saber continued to howl in the next room.

"I'm coming I'm coming!" she tried to reassure him, ripping open her fridge and scanning the scarce contents for something to hide the pill in. The family really needed to go shopping. She settled her eyes on one of her brother's pizza Lunchables and ripped open the plastic, pulling out several of the little pepperoni slices to wrap around the pill. She ran back into the living room and knelt before the dog in obvious discomfort.

There was a hesitancy as Saber sniffed at her hand, pulling away and eyeing it with suspicion.

"It's one of your pain pills. They gave you the good stuff, I promise. I know you can probably smell it but I swear I'm only trying to help." Saber seemed to consider what she said before snarfing down the little bundle whole, almost as if he understood exactly what she had said. This dog seemed oddly intuitive and it was starting to freak him out a little. She'd never seen an animal seem to understand every word but then maybe it was still just the adrenaline and her generally overactive emotions over the situation that were just playing tricks on her. Maybe she just needed to get some sleep.

Tommy stroked Saber's head through his soft whimpers, trying to soothe him until the pain medication started to kick in.

"I'm so sorry. I know it hurts. We'll try to go outside in a minute. I don't want you to pee your bed just because it hurts to get up and they said it was good for you to walk around a little." It seemed like there was a huff in response, the dogs eyes falling closed to Tommy and Macy's ministrations.

"Okay buddy," Macy and Tommy tried to rouse Saber once it seemed the animal had calmed down in his pain, "It's time to go outside. I know you don't want to but you have to."

It was hard to watch how painful and difficult it was for Saber to get to his feet and only could with Macy and Tommy's help. The pain was all Macys' fault and she felt her eyes watering with each whine of discomfort. It was a long and slow journey to the glass doors leading out to the brick patio but they eventually made it. The dog was hesitating, though, looking back at Macy and whining each time they tried to follow along to help him. It almost felt like he was trying to get them to hang back so eventually they did. In his condition, it wasn't like he would be able to run away without Macy and Tommy being able to catch up with him in a few strides so they'd finally stayed back while the dog slowly hobbled around to hide behind one of the bushes. They smiled at the thought that maybe Saber had a little stage fright when it came to someone watching him go and that seemed to be the case when a few moments later he was slowly limping back towards Macy and Tommy.

"Good boy! See, that wasn't so bad. Now let's get you back inside."

They made the slow trip back to the bed and Saber flopped down in exhaustion, his breathing heavy a quick. Tommy did his best to soothe him, gently rubbing over his head and then playing with his velvety ears. Soon Saber's breath finally calmed down and small snores started up as he fell asleep.

A moment later Tommy looked at Macy confused. "Was that my Lunchable you fed him?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had to use some of the pepperonis to hide the pill and feed to Saber," Macy answered.

Tommy grumbled. "Couldn't you have given him some of your chicken skewers instead?"

"I didn't have much time. They were the only food I could use under short notice. Mom and dad really need to stock up on food,"

Tommy grumbled again before settling down by Saber's body leaning against a couple pillows he had grabbed from the couch.

* * *

Later that evening Mr. Monroe came home with Chinese food while Mrs. Monroe came home with the much needed groceries. Mr. Monroe had crouched down and looked the dog over before rubbing its head and returning to eat dinner.

"I asked around the station and no one had reported a dog missing." Mr. Monroe said grabbing a dumpling.

"Seriously? None of them even know or own a dog like Saber and reported him missing?" Macy asked in surprise. "He has to belong to someone around here!"

"Guess that means we're keeping him," Tommy announced.

"No it doesn't. It's possible his owner is a hunter that is up farther in the mountains." Mr. Monroe said sternly. "Tommy that dog does not belong to us. Macy you said that the vet had said other than his injuries he was clean and healthy?"

"That's right," Macy answered, nodding her head.

"That shows that it has an owner, Tommy. Now I don't want you getting attached. That dog doesn't belong to us." Mr. Monroe said.

"Awww, man!" Tommy whined.

"Hey, I never wanted to get involved so I wouldn't get attached," Macy defended. "The sooner we find the owner and return him, the better."

"Good. Now I have to go to work early so I'm heading to bed. Let me know if anything comes up with the dog." Mr. Monroe said getting up from his spot rubbing Tommy's head before he left. "I know you don't like it Tommy, but it's the way it is."

Tommy just looked down in sadness, knowing that it really was for the best. Even if it seemed unfair.


	2. Waking Up To Awkwardness

Sage woke in a haze, slowly blinking to rid himself of the sleep induced dream-like state but he couldn't get it to clear. He lifted his head and realized he had somehow fallen asleep without shifting back. It wasn't the first time it had happened but he didn't remember returning home or making the decision to just curl up as his dog. He tried to sit up and was met with a painful ache throbbing through his entire body and pooling in his hind quarters.

"What the heck did I get up to last night?" he thought and tried to stretch out his cramping leg. Something was restricting his movement, though, and he turned his head in the darkness to see what looked like a heavy cast weighing it down.

He immediately started to panic and look around at the surroundings that he realized were unfamiliar. The smells weren't right either and his whole body was on alert. He tried to get up again and groaned with the pain that made his body flop back onto the ground but then he realized it wasn't the ground at all. He was at least comfortable on what seemed to be a large pillow. There was the scent of another human around him and he followed it until his eyes landed on the person who appeared to be asleep on the sofa not far away. His night vision was sharp and after a moment he realized that the profile was vaguely familiar.

Fragments of his memory started to surface, bits and pieces of the harsh smell of chemicals and bright lights, of pain and anxiety and eventually he had enough to figure out at least why he was there even if he didn't know where that was. The haze he was in had to be the drugs he thought he remembered being given which would also explain why his stomach was churning.

The girl, Macy, was still asleep so now was his chance to shift and sneak away so he concentrated and tried to pull himself up onto two legs. Even thinking about the change had him exhausted and he groaned at the weakness he felt overwhelming him. He couldn't even gather strength to attempt the shift and the realization made him begin to tremble with anxiety. He'd never been in a condition where he wasn't able to shift, not from animal to human anyway. Anything could happen when he was this vulnerable, unable to defend himself in either form if this human had brought him here for sinister reasons.

He couldn't help it when he started to cry, the only thing his overwhelmed state would let him do. The pain was intense and uncomfortable and all he wanted was his own bed and someone to comfort him until he was able to be human again. His sobs came out as long pitiful whines in this body but he did nothing to stop them, too distraught to even care what that human thought about it. Part of him wanted him to wake up and be annoyed, wanted to dump some of his misery onto him keeping him a prisoner here.

"You okay buddy?" Sage heard a voice asking him and he cried harder. This person didn't even know what he was. Didn't know who he was.

"It's okay Saber, I've got you," Macy was crawling over to him now and she was probably around Saber's age, not the old sadist that Sage had imagined her to be when he had woken up. "Shhh, you're okay," the voice hummed gently and hands started to pet over his head and around his ears. He wanted to hate it, to pull away from the touch, but instead leaned into the small amount of comfort it brought. He just wanted someone to make it better.

"Shhh Saber, I've got you," Macy cooed and Sage sobbed harder.

"It's Sage," he wanted to scream but of course it only came out in a pitiful howl.

"I'm sorry," the voice sounded choked up and Sage thought maybe that Macy was crying too as he felt her warm body wrap around the curve of his spine, cradling him to her chest. Macy nuzzled her face into the fur just behind Saber's head and the emotions surrounding them were anything but threatening. It felt nice to just be held and his whines slowly tapered off as he concentrated on the hands delicately moving over his fur. It had been so long since someone had pet him and he had forgotten how wonderful it actually felt. If he were a cat, he'd probably start purring instead his tail lightly thumped on the pillow below him.

Just then, Tommy came in with a loud yawn. "What's going on? I heard Saber. Is he okay?"

"Warming up to him a little?" the boy, Tommy, asked softly, nuzzling his nose into the fur of Sage's neck. "I could get used to this, you know? I already don't want to give you up when we find your owners."

Maybe these people weren't holding him here against his will at all. Maybe they honestly thought that he was just a lost dog. Sage tried to be optimistic, relaxing the last of his muscles that had been tensed in fear. He would just wait until he was strong enough to shift and then maybe leave these people a nice note about taking care of his lost dog. He'd figure it out in the morning.

"I know, Tommy. But Saber belongs to another family. They're probably worried sick about him," Macy replied, petting the soft dog's fur. "If anything, maybe the owner will let us see him for a visit in the future."

Just because Macy didn't want to be attached to the dog, it didn't mean she never wanted to see him again. Not to mention would are seeing her little brother unhappy.

* * *

Hot. Sage's first thought as he started to wake was that everything was too hot. His body, the bed, the sun shining directly on him, the furnace that seemed to be wrapped around him. He whined and tried to get away from the heat, to throw his covers off, but his movements didn't work the way he wanted them to. He tried to thrash around onto his back but nothing seemed right and the covers came with him and… no, it was just his fur. Why did he have fur?

His eyes flew open in a panic, panting as he tried to survey his surroundings. Everything came back in slow pieces again and he flopped his head back down with a groan. He had hoped that it all had been a bad dream but the ache in his body was too real to ignore. The bodies still curled around him from behind was too warm now that the morning sun was shining on them through the window and he whined as he tried to put some space between them.

"You're okay," the voice behind him said, cracking with sleep, a hand following to pet slow calming lines over his shoulder. "Do you need some more pain meds? It's been a long time since your last dose."

The mattress shifted beneath him as Macy got up and headed out of the room and Sage took a moment to look around. He was on a big dog bed, he now realized, and the room wasn't as intimidating as it had seemed in the darkness. It was actually very homey and normal, nothing like the psychopathic torture chamber environment he thought it might be. It looked lived in though there appeared to be a few half unpacked or half packed boxes sitting next to the bookshelf and another stack off to the corner.

He winced through the pain as he pushed himself to at least hold his head up, turning to take a closer look at the damage done to his body. The cast on his leg looked heavy and thick, fully encasing the limb nearly all the way up to his hip. He could see that his fur had been shaved around the top with another bare section low on the side of his stomach. There was a long incision that was stitched closed and with its position, he made a quick check to assure that his manly bits were still attached and unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief to find that at least that was okay.

"You seem perkier today! That's a good sign!" Macy returned, sitting down again near his head. "Okay I put it in some more of those pepperoni things again so open up."

"Please stop feeding him my Lunchable." A sleepy voice said from behind Sage.

Sage glanced at his side finding a sleeping Tommy behind him before looking down at the little rolled up bundle held out between her fingers and hesitantly sniffed. The bitter scent of the medication was still detectable around the fatty meat but at least he had been told it was there. Macy seemed trustworthy enough and he prided himself on being a good judge of character. With one more calculating glance at his face, he flicked his tongue out and swallowed the offered medication without chewing.

"Good boy!" she ruffled the fur on Sage's head and he pulled away with a small roll of his eyes. He wasn't a goddamn pet but he guessed Macy had no way of knowing that. A water bowl was pushed closer to him and he hadn't even registered how dry his mouth felt until he saw the liquid sloshing in front of his face. He dove in to lap some up, not even caring how desperate he probably looked.

A food bowl was pushed forward next as he was licking the water clear of his mouth and wetting his nose and it immediately made his stomach churn. He could play pet for a few things but there was absolutely no way he was going to eat dog food. He could smell all the ground up and fatty miscellaneous animal parts and artificial dyes that were somehow meant to make it appealing to dogs. There was no way he was eating that. Absolutely not.

His stomach was rumbling and cramping with hunger but what he really wanted was a big plate of eggs on toast with a side of bacon and maybe some orange juice. He needed the type of meal that would soothe a hangover in his state.

"Come on, the vet said I needed to make sure you started eating," Macy pushed the bowl closer to his face and he twisted his neck to get further away from the offending smells. There were parts of Sage that did feel bad. Macy was obviously just trying to help, just trying to take care of him, but no. He wasn't going to eat the dog food just to make him happy.

He was saved, at least for a minute, when the woman's phone rang.

Macy answered it. "Hello? Oh, hey, Tina! How are you and Amy doing?" she asked, sounding a lot better than before to hear her friends again. "...Good, glad to hear things are going well for you two. My stay here has been a total bummer before you called me,"

Sage used the distraction when Macy turned to continue her conversation to push the dish away with his paws, stretching through the burn to make sure it slid completely off the dog bed. Maybe he would be left alone long enough to shift and raid the kitchen before figuring out where he was and how to make it back home.

"Yeah, I don't know. He just ran out in front of me and I'd hit him before I knew what was happening," Sage perked up and actually started listening. So that was what had happened. "I freaked out and drove him to some emergency vet. No, he didn't have a collar or a microchip. He doesn't seem like a stray and he seems really well behaved. It's almost like he understands me. It freaks me out a little with how intuitive he seems." Macy laughed out loudly, shaking his head as he turned to look down at Sage, sliding her hand over his fur.

"No I'm not saying I picked up a werewolf from one of your books! I just got up here, I've barely even met anyone yet! Those kinds of isolation induced hallucinations won't start kicking in for months. But when I do start seeing werewolf hunks in my backyard I'll be sure to let you know."

Sage watched her laugh off the idea as absurd and he wondered if he should give Macy a little shock when he was ready to leave just to mess with her mind a little bit.

"I posted a few things but I figured if I can't find his owner that I'd find one for him. I'm already kind of getting used to having him around. It has been kind of nice just to have someone else here in this big house. I wouldn't trust a shelter or something to take care of him and I already feel too guilty about hurting him that the least I can do is take care of him till someone better comes along."

Sage sighed and rested his head down between his front paws. He didn't want to hurt Macy but knew he would probably do the same if the situation were reversed and he couldn't fault her for that. At least she was trying and hadn't just left him out on the side of the road.

"Yeah yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Macy ended her call and turned her full attention back to Sage.

"Did you push this away?" Macy asked with a small laugh, picking up the bowl filled with dog food and placing it right in front of his nose again. All Sage could do was pull his face away in disgust. Tommy who had woken up from the commotion scooped a few up into the palm of his hand and held it up to his nose like having a bigger whiff of them would make him want to chow down. He whined and pulled away, trying to push himself up by his front legs to remove himself from the situation.

"Okay, okay, but you're going to have to eat at some point today or I'll have to take you back to the vet for them to force feed you," Tommy set the bowl back down and ruffled the fur between his ears. Sage wasn't sure which option sounded worse but he was leaning towards the kibble ranking higher on that scale.

"Do you need to go out? You haven't gone out since yesterday so you probably need to, don't ya boy?" Sage rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Let's go out and then I have to run into town to get some supplies for flyers. Maybe I'll pick up some treats for you if you're good."

Sage huffed out a sigh and tried not to nip at Macy while she helped him to stand. It was very uncomfortable and painful but knew it was good for patients to walk after surgery in human form so he probably needed to as well. Especially since he wasn't even sure what they'd done to him. It was awkward to hobble with his entire back leg heavy and immobile but he reluctantly let Macy and Tommy help him along until they were standing outside on his patio.

"Man, he weighs like a ton! Almost as much as your butt, Sis," Tommy teased.

"Don't push it, Tommy," Macy gritted her teeth on that remark. "Otherwise, I'll end up putting you in a cage and have the vet examine you for a brain transplant,"

"We'll stay up here like before. Go do your business," Macy motioned out towards the lawn and if Sage were able to blush in this form, he would be. He didn't remember doing this before but the idea of being made to relieve himself outside was humiliating enough without those two standing there to watch him do it. It wasn't like there was another option, though. He wouldn't be able to use a toilet like this anyway.

He glanced back at Macy and Tommy wearily before shaking his head and limping his way over to the bushes by the corner of the house. Macy appeared to be giving him some illusion of privacy, thankfully, turned away while still keeping him in her peripheral vision, probably so he wouldn't try to run away. It took him a few tries to balance enough so he wouldn't leak all over himself but got the job done and slowly returned to Macy's side.

"Do you think you'll be alright if we run into town for an hour or so?" Macy asked him once he was settled back on the dog bed. It was probably no more than thirty feet to the back door but he felt exhausted like he had climbed half a mountain. He couldn't even muster the strength to be excited that he was going to be left alone.

Macy stroked his fur for a few minutes, probably to make sure he wasn't going to pass out from how heavily he was breathing, before disappearing into another part of the house. Sage waited until he heard the door and then the sound of the car starting up and pulling away to take any action. If he wanted to be long gone by the time Macy and Tommy came back, he'd have to get as much distance between himself and the house as he could.

* * *

Macy couldn't stop thinking about how awfully smart this dog was. It was like she was talking a human being but in the form of a dog. And normally, Macy always thought that her brother was part dog, too. Especially with all the messes he causes and attitude of a small cub going through a sugar rush.

They stopped into an office supplies store picking up paper and pens, along with thick plastic wrap covers to keep the signs dry. On their way out Macy heard the telltale sound of her brother's stomach.

"Macy, I'm hungry. Can we eat?" Tommy asked.

Macy groaned, already grabbing a granola bar out of her pocket and giving it to him. "I told you not to skip breakfast. Here, eat this."

Tommy grumbled. "Seriously how about some actual food. I think I saw a fast food place on the way in. Besides its eleven, lunch should be started by now."

"Okay, fine. Let me put these away in the car and we'll check it out," Macy rolled her eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile Sage stretched out and took slow, calming breaths to relax his body. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the force within him that he used to shift. It had seemed dull and weak, probably partially due to the effects of the medication, and he had to focus to summon it when it usually came so naturally. It took a long time before it was humming close to the surface but when it felt ready, he pushed through it, ready to finally feel human again.

He broke through the first layer and, where he usually slipped right through the rest of the transition, something was tugging him back. He pushed harder, struggling to get through but got stuck like his hips were too wide to fit through a small window. It was his leg, a wall of steel stopping him just at that point. He could feel his other leg pulling through, the vibrations buzzing through him everywhere but below that one point just below his hip. He thrashed and fought against it, straining until it seemed to implode, snapping back into him like a strong rubber band.

He collapsed back onto the bed, panting heavily and feeling light headed and weak. That had never happened to him before. There had never been a force keeping him in one form or the other. Every part of him felt drained, mind and body, and he couldn't even keep his eyes open long enough to ponder what had happened. There was no other choice but give in to sleep.

Noises from another room slowly roused Sage from slumber, groggy as he looked around. Macy and Tommy were back and he was no closer to getting home than he had been before. He was stuck and, while the anger surrounding that fact was festering within him, he didn't have the energy to entertain it.

Instead, it was irritation that was strong enough to surface. Sage was tired, exhausted, starving, aching in pain and just wanted to be at home surrounded by familiar scents and the comforts he had taken for granted. He wanted to make the new chicken lasagna recipe he'd been meaning to try, he wanted a nice big glass of soda and some fake reality TV drama.

"Hey there Saber! Did you get into much trouble while we were gone?" That was also grinding on his nerves. He'd scream his name in their faces if he were able to. He wasn't a sword.

Macy and Tommy sat down on the couch with their fast food bags full of bad choices and the whole room was filled with the glorious smells of burgers and fries. It was absolutely torture to be taunted with the aroma of fried food while his stomach clenched and growled at him in anger. He usually wasn't a fan of fast food, he tried to eat as clean as possible, but would order everything off the menu right then if he could.

Tommy flipped on the TV while he held a partially unwrapped burger, bacon and cheese oozing out from under the bun, and his mouth was watering so much he could feel himself drooling. He whined out for it, trying to crawl closer. He wasn't above snatching it directly from his hand and running. Well, maybe not running, but snarfing it down before it could be stolen away.

He had pulled himself halfway off the dog bed by the time Macy noticed but Sage couldn't even be bothered to care that Macy was onto him. The burger was probably reflecting in his eyes, the sole focus of his entire mind. He licked at his chops and could almost taste the greasy meat on his tongue.

"This is probably bad for you but we won't tell, will we?" Tommy said with a smile

He watched as Tommy ripped the burger in half, tearing off a piece and holding it out in his hand right in front of his nose. He didn't even hesitate as he lunched forward, snarfing down the bite and then licking every remnant clean from Tommy's palm and fingers while Tommy giggled. He was beyond the point of feeling any shame about his actions. Plus, in their eyes, he was a dog and he figured that was normal dog behavior. He whined until Macy was also breaking off a piece, section by section disappearing into Sage's stomach until he'd been allowed to eat the whole half. It was just a cheap fast food burger but he was sure he had never eaten a better meal in his life.

"That's probably enough people food for right now. I wouldn't want you to get sick." Macy wiped the slobber from his hand with a napkin before taking his own bite of the other half. Sage was still hungry but was satisfied enough to not tackle Tommy down and shove his nose into the bag like some sort of wild animal. Plus, he was sure it probably wouldn't be pretty to overeat on whatever medication he'd been given. He wasn't even sure how animal medication would interact with his body but so far it seemed to be working just fine.

He shifted himself back onto the bed, flopping down onto his side and relaxing now that his stomach was no longer screaming at him. It was amazing how much just that had taken the edge off, able to think more rationally about his situation.

Obviously the cast had something to with his inability to shift. He'd never heard of something exterior not allowing a shift but then he supposed this was a bit of a unique situation. He would just have to wait until the cast came off or figure out a way to get it off himself. He'd deal with that later.

"Not a word to mom and dad," Macy told Tommy.

"Obviously," Tommy said.

As Saber was licking his chops from his small meal Macy noticed once again his eyes they were warm yellow almost gold. As she stared an odd wondering thought came to mind but she instantly blew it off.

"Make any new friends at school?" Macy asked as she pulled out her laptop.

"Sure did! Two, at least. They're names are Andy and Marcus. We easily got along at lunch," Tommy answered.

"That's good. They tell you about any clubs or activities that you can do around here?" Macy asked.

"Well, we were actually thinking of coming up with our own club. Like a mystery solving club," Tommy answered.

Macy shook her head. "How about baseball, or maybe summer camp?"

"Nah. The whole point of creating a club is to have something totally different. And since the three of us all appreciate mysteries, we figured why not do a club about that?"

Macy rolled her eyes. "Just stay out of trouble. I don't want to have to go looking for you like that time at Central Park."

"Oh, relax. This will be different and better than Central Park," Tommy replied.

"Please consider the summer camp when it's warmer." Macy said before turning to her computer.

"I'll talk to Andy and Marcus about that,"

"So you been looking up more on the Beast of the White North?" Macy asked motioning to Saber.

"You could say that. I already informed Andy and Marcus about him. Even send pictures. So far, they've never seen nor heard of a dog like Saber. And Andy still didn't seem convinced that he's a regular husky,"

"Oh and what proof is there that he isn't?" Macy questioned

"Well, according to him, Saber's body features seem more from the Canis Lupus family and similar to some legend called Wolfbloods,"

Sage, who had been mildly dozing, had his ears perk up at the change of conversation.

"Wolfbloods, huh? What's the legend wolves that drink human blood to become human or vice versa."

"Wolfbloods are creatures that transform from human form into wolves," Tommy explained. "Often perceived as werewolves. They're considered stronger, faster, and more graceful than humans and possess heightened senses, among other supernatural abilities. We think it's possible that Saber might be one of them."

"Well, if he a Wolfblood, why doesn't he just turn back human right now?" Macy remarked.

"That's what I asked Andy. He mentions that a Wolfblood needs to be fully healed and restored before changing back. Otherwise, it will cause great pain and make him stuck in between forms,"

Macy looked at Saber for a moment before laughing hysterically.

"Tommy I think Tina let you borrow one to many werewolf romance novels." Macy said before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"Ew! You know I'm not into gross stuff like that!" Tommy hollered.

"Uh huh. Look Saber's just a dog and as soon as I've finished with the posters his owners will come and get him and that will be the end of it.

"Ugh, fine," Tommy replied.

* * *

Later that night, Macy had turned off the TV and tucked in to sleep on the couch when Sage heard it. He was still wide awake and bored out of his mind but there wasn't much he could do about it. His ears perked and there was no mistaking the long drawn out howls though they were faint. He whined at the soft chorus of calls barely penetrating the walls of the house. They were looking for him. HIs family was looking for him.

He sat up and gave a long howl in response though it knew it was useless. They were miles away. They would never be able to hear him. The calls were already moving further away. He whimpered at the thought that they might never be able to find him. He had heard rain spitting against the window earlier, no doubt washing away any scent he would have left behind and he was sure he was far from any path he usually traveled.

Mr. Monroe and Mrs. Monroe ran out into the living room scared and angry at the abrupt howling.

"You're kind of a night owl, aren't you?" Macy croaked, peeking over the arm of the sofa to look at him while she rubbed at her eyes. Sage ignored her and turned towards the window again, pointing his nose towards the sky while letting out another long pathetic howl. He didn't care that he was disrupting this family's sleep that thought himself Sage's superior. He wasn't a creature that could be owned, he was a person being held captive no matter what Macy's intentions were. He felt he had a right to be at least a little obnoxious, especially when it might mean being found.

"Macy put a muzzle on him. We all have to get up in the morning." Mr. Monroe said sternly. Macy groaned as she got up and grabbed the muzzle quickly putting it in place. Sage growled and tried to push it off with no luck. "Back to bed everyone."

"I'm sorry you're sad," Macy said gently and she sounded so genuine that Sage turned to meet his eyes. For once it felt that Macy somehow understood his distress and the sorrow on this girl's face was comforting in a strange way.

"You probably miss your home and your owners but I don't know how to find them. I'm so sorry."

Macy climbed off the couch and came to lie beside him as she had the night before, stroking Sage's fur until he finally laid back down himself.

* * *

It might be days or even weeks until he would be able to contact his family. He'd never felt so helpless in his life but he still couldn't stop the soft spot he had started to develop for the family and the thought maybe they could have been friends if they had met again under different circumstances. If this experience was something that was destined to happen to him, something fate would have thrown his way no matter what, he found that he was glad it had been Macy and Tommy to find him.

The next day, Macy already began setting up the posters and placing them up all over the town.

"Hopefully, I made enough for someone looking for Saber," Macy said to herself, turning around to notice that some of the previous posters she put up have mysteriously disappeared. "What in the name of insanity?!"

Meanwhile, back home, Tommy's friends arrived to get a better look and observation on both Saber and their intel on Werewolves.

"And you said that he kept howling late the other night? Like there was a full moon?" Andy asked, still searching.

"Positive. We had to put a muzzle on him so he'd stop," Tommy explained. "And I think it's more than just a moon he was howling about."

"Maybe he was calling his pack," Marcus guessed.

A few more days later, Macy and Tommy were making their way back to school with the car.

During those days, Macy noticed that Sage has not shown up since her first day. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to just skip school like that. She only wondered where Sage might be.

"Here's my stop! I'll see you later today, sis! Bye!" Tommy replied, already getting off the car when it paused and hurried over to see his friends waiting for him.

Before leaving, Macy noticed something in her own brother's backpack. Along with his friends' bags. They looked like rollups of the missing poster signs she tried putting up in town.

"So that's whose been stealing all the posters! I should have known!" Macy nearly yelled in the car, slowly moving forward. "Oh, when this day is over, I am so gonna have a major chat with Tommy and his friends!"

* * *

It had been days and Macy still was no closer to finding Saber's owner. She'd spent hours searching Facebook posts, Craigslist, even the local newspapers. As far as she could tell, no one had reported missing or lost dog and she couldn't understand why. Saber was a beautiful, well behaved animal, and she could think of no scenario that wouldn't have his owners wanting him back.

She stood at the stove with several chicken pieces sizzling in a pan, checking the Googled cooking instructions on her phone again to make sure she wasn't overcooking them. She didn't trust himself to know when they were done. It was probably horrible behavior to encourage, but Saber had refused to touch the dog food in his bowl from day one. It was never just disinterest but instead, outright refusal.

Saber had been much more alert and interactive since the first day which made his behavior over the food more than just a side effect of the anesthesia. Saber also was quick to eat up any of Macy and especially Tommy's food they offered, even the apple slices she'd bought pre-cut in a bag. It was extremely odd to her but she also didn't want the animal to starve. Her final choice had been made once she had read the ingredients on the dogfood and one didn't seem better than another.

So she had done some research on what dogs absolutely shouldn't eat and also some homemade dog food recipes and had helped load up the fridge and freezer with things the family could at make for the all of them. It definitely seemed to be the more expensive route but if Saber was eating then she guessed it was okay. The family was also probably doing their own bodies a favor as well instead of living off frozen pizzas and take out for the next handful of months.

Tonight was chicken and brown rice and so far she had managed to not burn anything. Yet.

She poked her head into the living room to check on Saber and Tommy finding them engrossed in whatever was playing on TV. It was strange that Saber seemed to watch TV just like she would, almost as if he understood everything that was happening. Just the night before she could have sworn Harley snorted out a type of dog laugh at the same punchline that had Tommy laughing to tears. She had joked about it but she honestly wondered if the isolation really was going to her head. She couldn't even call it isolation yet since she had been into town so many times so if that's what was affecting her, it was definitely not a good sign.

The two ate their supper down on the floor with Saber, something oddly domestic about sharing a meal with someone she was starting to see as less and less of a pet. She'd never seen a dog eat so carefully or politely and, while Tommy chattered on, it almost felt like Saber was actively participating in the conversation.

She found herself doing more of her work on the floor closer to Saber as well. She asked his opinions on homework or posts sent over by her friends, or just about anything her day had entailed. It was like living with someone and the idea of having to give Saber up was becoming harder to swallow.

Moments later, Macy went over to where her dad was working privately in his room office.

"Hey, dad. Any luck with information about Saber's owner?" Macy asked.

"Nothing yet. I'm starting to wonder if maybe that dog was abandoned." Mr. Monroe said looking up from his computer.

"Yeah...I hate to say it, but you might be right. Which got me thinking. If Saber really doesn't belong to anyone, should we even consider having him as part of our family?" Macy questioned.

Mr. Monroe turned to look at Macy. "Do you not like the dog?"

"He's not bad. Really. Despite the first meet, Saber seems to be a very understanding friend. He seems to be the only positive thing being here. That, and Tommy seems to like him a lot to a point that he doesn't want to give Saber up,"

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Mr. Monroe asked sarcastically with a smile, knowing full well how much his son wanted to keep the dog.

Macy chuckled a bit. "I can name a few reasons."

Mr. Monroe sighed. "Alright I'll make you a deal however we keep this between us. I don't want your brother getting his hopes up. We'll give it two weeks after the dog gets its pins removed. Once that time has passed we'll know for sure then we'll make it official that he's part of the family."

"Sounds good to me. And believe me, I'm not saying anything," Macy assured.

"Honey, I am sorry that this move was so sudden but it was an opportunity that I had to take. I didn't do this to hurt you or our family. You know that right?" Mr. Monroe said taking his daughter's hands into his.

"Of course, I know that, dad,"

"Then can you give this place a chance, for me. I want you to love this place if not for anything other than your family is here and we love it."

"I'll consider it," Macy smiled lightly.

Mr. Monroe smiled kissing her forehead. "Thank you baby bear. Now when is the next vet visit?"


	3. One Problem, One Choice Right?

Hey everyone glad you're all enjoying the story. I just wanted to give a mild warning about the mentioning of neutering. No one is but I figured I'd mentioned.

Now I hope you all have a Howling good time. -Steelcode

* * *

"Come on Saber! Want to go for a ride?" Tommy came into the living room with the blue leash around his hand. He watched Saber give him a weary look but didn't pull away when he squatted down to clip the leash to his collar. "You've got a check up to see how you're healing."

Macy was impressed with how well he seemed to be healing, moving around on his own much better than he had the first week. There hadn't been any signs of infection that he could tell and the line of the incision on his stomach had nearly vanished into a pink scar before the stitches had even dissolved. She'd have to ask the vet about that. The little knots tight to the skin seemed more irritating than the original wound had even been. They might need to be removed.

It was difficult to hold herself back but she tried to let Saber walk on his own as much as possible. The cast seemed bulky and annoying but he seemed to do alright. Macy and Tommy did help him down the few steps and then up into the backseat, though, not wanting another injury before the first ones had healed.

Saber didn't seem to be a big fan of car rides, letting out long whining howls the entire way until they pulled into the parking lot. Arriving at the clinic was so different than the last time she had been there. Saber was healing and doing well, the anxiety and panic all but vanished from those first emotional 24 hours.

They took them back for x-rays first and Macy smiled and took the credit for how well behaved Saber was through the whole process. Somehow, he could tell Saber was annoyed by that but all she could do was laugh when she saw the expression on the dog's face that always seemed like an eye roll to her.

The assistant took them back to one of the exam rooms and they didn't have to wait long until the vet came into the room. Macy helped him get Saber up onto the exam table and he takes a quick look at the incision on his stomach.

"He must be younger than we estimated since he seems to be healing faster than expected. We usually say about 6 weeks but he's looking great after 4. The x-ray looks good and I think we can even get the cast off this week and see about scheduling a time for the pins to come out."

The vet turned to the counter and started to get things together, his assistant bringing in some other things he assumed they'd need. This was all new to Macy and Tommy.

"I assume you haven't had any luck with finding his owners?" the vet asked, glancing over at Macy.

"No, I haven't seen or heard about anyone looking for him and no one has answered any of my posts."

"Have you thought about microchipping him? It might be a good idea if he's a flight risk. He won't be back to normal yet on his leg but he might try it once he's not dragging it around."

Macy looked down at Saber and could feel the way the dog was glaring daggers at him with narrowed eyes.

"I think it would be a good idea." Tommy and Macy were shocked when Sage let out a low growl, the first aggression he'd ever seen from the animal. "Stop that. You're fine," Macy tried to stay firm though the reaction made him a little nervous.

"We'll give him a light sedative before we take the cast off. A lot of animals get scared by the tools but it won't hurt them."

Saber seemed to be so busy glaring him down that he yelped when the nurse pushed the shot into the muscle of his shoulder and whined as he envisioned a toddler might. It didn't seem to take long before the sedative started to work, Saber struggling to keep his eyes open that drooped lower and lower until he rested his head against his paws.

"I'm really sorry, Saber. But it's for your own good," Macy muttered.

There were many feelings that were horrifying, things that realistic nightmares were made of.

Sage had once seen the movie Being John Malkovich that had left a scarring imprint on his mind. In the movie, others were able to take over his body while he was pushed to the side, left to watch through the window of his eyes while having no ability to control anything. He had read accounts of people affected by Lou Gehrig's Disease who slowly lost all function, choosing to peacefully end their own lives rather than be trapped within their minds with a body unable to express themselves.

It was one of his worst fears and, while he knew his state was only temporary, that was exactly what Sage was experiencing on the table of the vet's clinic.

The sedation had made things hazy for a while, a woozy feeling like maybe he had a few too many glasses of wine. That had ended quickly, though, instead a state of lazy paralysis, barely able to twitch his muscles when he commanded them to move.

He could hear them talking around him and everything in his body was screaming to shift and run but of course, he couldn't. He could feel the skin in his shoulder being pinched and lifted like the scruff of the back of a kitten's neck and then a sharp poke into his flesh. He whined and wanted to scream and pull away but he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

Macy's hands were stroking his fur, no doubt trying to sooth a confused and scared animal rather than a person attempting to resist an unwanted body modification. He wanted to cry over the inability to protect himself, water even gathering over his vision in his form and spilling over the sleek fur of his face. At least he'd be able to leave tonight if all went according to plan. As soon as he confirmed he could shift back, he'd be gone, out in the woods until he was close enough for his family to hear him. He hoped they were still out looking, that they hadn't given up.

He tried his best to hold himself together while the vet sawed through the outer layer of his cast and removed the dressing beneath it. The air felt too cold against his skin once it was off and each touch to his newly exposed skin made him want to tug away.

The vet inspected his leg and then moved it at all his joints, all of them feeling sore and achy with each movement but not necessarily painful. Sage was thankful for that at the very least. Every bend made him feel that much closer to freedom. He could do nothing but lay their patiently while the doctor demonstrated some physical therapy moves for Macy to do with him at home and he tuned it out. He wouldn't be there long enough for it to matter.

Sage tried to fight against it when the vet turned him onto his back, his legs falling open with everything on display. He knew that to the others in the room it wasn't quite the same as being naked but to him it was no different. Especially when he could do nothing but weakly curl his toes. At least he could do that now.

The vet prodded the incision with his glove covered fingers and Sage just wished that Macy would turn her back the same way she still did every time she took him outside.

"So have you thought about keeping him since you haven't been able to find his owners?"

"Mostly my little brother, but yes," Macy admitted.

It almost tickled as the vet snipped and pulled out each stitch but Sage was too busy focusing on getting his limbs to work to notice. Sage should probably be flattered by Macy's endearing tone but in that moment all it did was irritate him. Nobody owned him. Nobody was allowed to keep him.

"You've done a great job taking care of him. He's healing remarkably well, you should be proud," the vet moved to take another look at his leg and he wished the guy would just turn him over already. He felt utterly humiliated with his legs spread and his body still wouldn't obey.

"I think we're safe to set up an appointment to take the pins out early next week," Sage started to squirm when the vet's hand moved down to push the longer hair of his tail away from his body. "Have you given any thought about having him neutered? It would be less traumatic to get it done at the same time so we wouldn't have to put him under again."

And nope. Nope, nope, nope. That was it. The final straw to this whole playing doggy charade.

A rush of adrenaline surged through him and he scrambled against the slick table until he had righted himself and stumbled down the floor. He ignored the crash of instruments around him, frantic to remove himself from the situation entirely, not willing to even be involved in a conversation about his balls.

His muscles still weren't working properly and his paws were slipping against the tile floor in what he was sure was a comical way but there was nothing comical about the panic that was driving him. He pushed into the shift but each time hit the same roadblock as he had each time he'd tried over the past month, something yanking him back each time the shimmer hit his leg.

The pins. It was the pins. It suddenly occurred to him that the pins had been the cause all along. The foreign object attached to his bones was holding him back, his leg unable to elongate and straighten with metal drilled into its core.

"Dang It!" he tried to exclaim but it came out as a loud yelp that echoed in the exam room on top of the chaos that had erupted with him being at the center of it. Another tech opened the door to see what was going on and he took the opportunity and bolted. He was disoriented and had no idea where he was going but there had to be a door somewhere, there had to be a way out.

His leg felt weak and nearly useless at his side, holding his already diminished coordination back even further. He slide into a wall and then dashed down the hallway, skidding to a spot when it was a dead end. Dang it. He'd gone the wrong way. He turned to make a dash for it yet again but was blocked by far too many people to ever make it through.

He was sure his eyes were wild as he backed himself into the corner, the barricade of people just watching him cautiously for a moment before advancing a step further.

It was a last resort but it was all he had. He crouched, bared his teeth and let out the most menacing growl he could conjure up. He felt feral as he let his wild instincts loose for a second, each one of them a vicious predator trying to mutilate him.

"Let me through!" He watched Macy push her way between the employees who were probably trained in handling scared animals. Sage just raised his lips higher, ready to lash out if he was pushed that far. He could tell Tommy was nervous, probably scared of what he was capable of doing, but he still cautiously came closer.

'He is definitely not a normal dog,' Tommy thought.

"Saber, I know you're not some stupid dog and I know you understand everything I'm saying. So knock it the heck off right now. I'm not going to have you neutered. Jimmy Christmas."

Sage stopped growling and relaxed his mouth, sitting back to hesitantly calculate the sincerity of Macy's words.

"You're like a person," Macy mumbled once she was close enough to squat in front of him. She reached out rub behind his ears with both hands once he was sure Saber wasn't going to bite her fingers off and then squished his face like a toddler with chubby cheeks. "I'd probably have that reaction if someone threatened to change something about me."

Macy smirked and Sage slid his tongue out to get a cheeky lick across her face, grinning to himself when Macy wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You're going to have a bad reputation here now," Tommy shook his head, tugging on his ear once before standing with a grip on his collar though Sage could tell it was just for show and not dominance.

"He'll behave now, I promise," Macy told the rest of the staff but it was obvious they didn't quite believe her even with the whole dog whisperer type performance that had just happened.

Macy led them through the small crowd that had formed, Sage limping along at her side. Now that he had calmed down he realized just how badly his leg was aching and whined with each uncomfortable step.

"You did it to yourself," Macy mumbled, leading them back towards the reception area. Everyone was staring at them while Macy made his next appointment, the whole office no doubt hearing the whole fiasco. Sage would have blushed with embarrassment if he could but to them, he was only a dog.

Macy loaded him into the back seat and made it around to the driver's side before Tommy started laughing, loud and bright cackles that had tears rolling down his cheeks in minutes.

"The look on your face!" Tommy crowed now that they were alone, "I swear it looked like you saw your whole life flash in front of your eyes."

Sage huffed and flopped down onto his belly, rolling his eyes as he let his tail thump against the door with a hollow sound.

"Tommy, show some respect!" Macy nearly yelled, smacking her brother. "Saber has been through enough as it is! How would you feel when some tried operating on you the same way they did with Saber?"

Tommy gulped. "Umm uh...Ouch."

"Yeah. So before opening your big mouth, try seeing how others would feel first," Macy remarked, ready to turn the car on.

"Sorry, Saber," Tommy apologized. Sage just huffed again turning to where he was facing the back of the seat of the car.

"Let's head back home," Macy replied.

* * *

After being helped back into the house Sage stared at his leg, more prominently the pins that were a double edge sword, both helping yet detouring at the same time.

"One more week. Then I can go home." Sage thought to himself as he listened to Macy and her mother bustle about the kitchen.

"Your brother was talking about his school doing a fundraiser to raise money for a camping trip." Mrs. Monroe said.

"Fundraiser, huh? What kind?" Macy questioned.

"Dog sled race. Apparently many of the families have dog sled teams. The rule is that they can only use one dog. Whoever wins gets a years' worth of ice cream and pizza coupons." Mrs. Monroe said as she chopped up the cooked steak and placed it into Saber's dish.

"A dog sled race? Normally, I would have suggested a musical fundraiser or something more interesting that does not abuse dogs," Macy replied.

"Most of the dogs are champions who love this work. You know I was telling a colleague of mine about Saber and they said that he could be a lead dog. Many of the points she gave reminded me of Saber." Mrs. Monroe said as Macy put brown rice and chopped carrots into the bowl.

"Well, unless it's after next week, no way am I going to let Saber hurt himself," Macy said.

"It's not for a while. Three weeks." Mrs. Monroe said with a smile. "I also happened to hear that you claimed Saber as your dog."

Macy just shrugged. "Well, no one seems to have come to our door and claim Saber belongs to someone else. Thought it'd be better for him to stay with us than spent the rest of his days at a kettle."

"Kettle? You mean kennel right sis." Tommy said walking in. "Please say you're not sending Saber away?"

"You know what I mean, and no, we are not sending him away,"

"Cool so do you think he's a for real sled dog? That would be so cool especially if he's well enough to go to the fundraiser..."

"Not sure. Maybe when he's all healed up, we'll find out," Macy answered.

"YAHOO!"

Sage's head shot up at the shout then looked at Tommy raced out of the room like the Easter Bunny on a sugar high. Macy came to the doorway with his bowl and he gave her the "Gee what'd you give up to make him so happy look"

"Ugh, the things I do for family," Macy muttered.

* * *

Sage was nervous. He'd never knowingly had surgery before, especially not as an animal. He couldn't stop pacing all night, back and forth, back and forth, until Macy threw a pillow at him. They'd moved to Macy's or Tommy's bedroom the last few nights after his cast had been removed. Without the burden of the thing he was able to jump up onto the mattress and Macy was glad to be sleeping in her own bed after a month. Sage would argue that he could have been sleeping in his own bed for the past month but he also didn't want to admit how much he'd enjoyed having her close.

After the first night Macy hadn't stopped complaining about the white hairs from his coat that seemed to cling to every item of clothing they owned and now every inch of her bed. Sage had just grinned to himself and made sure to roll around over the bed and even beneath the covers because he was just that extra about it. Mildly irritated yet underlying fond was exactly how he liked his Macy. Just Macy. Macy wasn't his. He was leaving soon.

The sun finally rose on the day of his appointment and his eyes burned with exhaustion. It would be the biggest trust of faith he had ever taken in his life. He was willingly walking into a situation he had absolutely no control over and trusting Macy not to betray him.

The procedure was expected to be simple. Small incision, take out a few screws, close him up. It sounded routine but anything could happen. There hadn't been a reaction to the anesthesia or medications the first time but foreign substances were always dangerous in this body. He was neither human nor animal and it would be impossible to calculate correct doses on him knowing what he was let alone having no idea anything was off. For all he knew he'd shift on the table as soon as the pins were out. He'd been trying to force it every day for over a month so the push might just happen on its own once the blockage was removed and he wasn't in control.

Macy could tell he was nervous and was gentle with him all morning until it was finally the main office of the clinic would be open. Tommy had to go to the dentist while his appointment was first thing, Macy not wanting to starve him all day for an afternoon appointment. It would have been a nice thought if he had actually been able to eat his dinner the night before.

Macy signed them in and then took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area. Sage walked up and pushed his chest between her knees, parting them before sitting tall so he was as close to Macy as he could be. He squared his shoulders and stared at Macy with purpose hoping that it communicated all of his questions and fears and needs but, most importantly, trust that Macy wasn't going to wrong him.

The message must have been received when Macy's hands came up to cup his face, rubbing down his neck and then back up to hold him so they made eye contact.

"I promise no neutering," Macy promised leaned forward and pressed a warm kiss against his cold wet nose. It was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn't help but smile even through the serious moment. Sage gave one more nod, hoping he wasn't making the wrong decision, and made no fuss when they led him back for prep.

"I'll be right here, Saber," Macy assured, petting on his fur.

It was much different coming to for the second time. He had some blurry memories from after his surgery but he wasn't quite as disoriented as before. This time he knew what had happened and why his mind wasn't quite clear. It was also much less painful, a dull pulsing rather than the sharp stabs from before.

Most importantly, he felt relief. He didn't want to equate it to the relief after being constipated but that was the closest he could come to describe it. He had lived his whole life with his magic flowing freely over his body whenever he wanted it to and, after having it built up and blocked from him for so long, the shimmer down his legs to his toes was the best release of pressure.

He didn't shift though, not yet. Macy was still doting on him and playing nurse. She brought Sage's medication and food and water like the most pampered pup in the world.

He waited until he was sure Macy was asleep. He could hear the soft snores drifting to him from the couch and he was glad they hadn't fallen asleep curled up with one another for once. Keeping his eyes on the place where Macy's hair popped up above the arm, he let shift trickle through him. It would have been easy to burst into tears when he found himself crouched on two feet in the center of the dog mattress, rising up to his full height for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

His muscles stretched and his bones popped but it all felt so amazing. The ache in his leg was stronger in this form, the incision long and deep through the meat of his outer thigh but he didn't even care. There was a matching line along his stomach as well though it was dulled to a soft pink, scars that others wouldn't always see but would always remind him of his time with Macy.

He tried to tiptoe across the room but nearly fell over into a table and knocked over a lamp when his bad leg didn't want to work quite the same. He was used to babying it as his wolf and he was clumsy with it standing upright. Cautiously, he limped across the room and through the door that he now knew to be Mr. Monroe's office. He wouldn't leave yet, not tonight, but he did need to figure out where he was.

The papers rustled as he sifted through them, trying to be as quiet as possible as he looked for anything with an address on it or any information to indicate where he was. There was nothing like the Monroe's had never received a letter or a bill in their move here. He flopped down in the office chair, the pleather chilly against his bare skin knees, and sighed.

Mr. Monroe's laptop. He wasn't sure how he didn't notice it before but it was sitting on the desk. Macy and Tommy, he put in the password he'd seen used so many times before and silently cheered when it let him in. He opened Mr. Monroe's contacts and found an address listed under his own information. Monroe.

Opening up the maps, he entered the address and zoomed to see where it would take him. He found a familiar point and followed it across to where he had started that night. Yeah, that seemed like the distance would have been about right, the privately owned woods stretching out for miles from his backyard to just across the road from where this address seemed to be.

He opened a browser and signed into his email account, quickly composing an email to his brother that would do what it said without question.

_Derek,_

_Come claim your lost "dog" tomorrow at this address. I've been stuck, explain later._

He logged out of his account and cleared the history before making his way back to the living room. He could have slapped himself for being so careless when he didn't even pause before stepping into the room. Macy was sitting up on her bed yawning into her hand. They both froze, holding eye contact for the longest moment before Sage dropped to the floor in a streak of white across the room to his place on the dog bed.

It was difficult to pretend to be asleep when his heart was pounding so rapidly but he had to try.

"What the heck," he heard Macy whispering to herself, "Dang books are messing with my head. Can't believe I let Tina talk me into reading them."

Sage smiled to himself but wasn't about to give himself up.

* * *

The next morning, Macy was making breakfast with her mother while her father was reading the paper.

The doorbell rang shortly after nine. Tommy grumbled to himself and ran his fingers through his messy hair. He was still in his pajamas with bedhead and he hadn't been expecting anyone. If it was some type of salesperson he would turn the sprinklers on them with no hesitation, he was in that kind of mood.

"Can I help you?" he asked in irritation as he pulled open the door and was met with a man an in his late twenties and a woman closer to his mother's age. It was probably the guy's mom, they looked like they could be related.

"Um, hi, I'm Derek," he raised a hand with a small wave and he seemed nice enough but Tommy wasn't in the mood for a Girl Scout Cookie type of sales pitch. "I, um, I think you might have found my dog?"


	4. A Lie and Repaying a Debt

Tommy's blood ran cold like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head as he stared with wide eyes.

"How did you get this address?" he pressed, narrowing his eyes at the visitors that seemed just a bit too friendly to not seem suspicious.

He was interrupted, however, by Sager pushing past him, his whole body wiggling in excitement as he circled the couple's legs.

"Oh Sagebrush," the woman burst into sobs and dropped to her knees, rubbing Saber all over while he licked the tears off her face. Tommy could do nothing but gape at the exchange, mouth hanging open in surprise.

"Tommy who's at the door hon?" Mrs. Monroe asked coming up behind her son. "Oh Mrs. MacTire, Derek..."

Macy went over and heard her mom. "Wait, Mrs. MacTire? As in Sage's parents? What brings you two here?"

"They're here for Saber. And they claim that they're the owners of him," Tommy answered, having a hard time believing this.

"Really? How's Sage? I haven't seen him in weeks,"

Mrs. MacTire looked up from hugging Saber tears in her eyes. Derek stepped in quickly.

"Sage has been ill since that snow storm we had. Really hit him hard. He got sick while looking for Sagebrush."

"Oh," Macy now felt a lot of guilt. "...I think it was my fault. I accidentally ran over your dog with the jeep and we've been taking care of him ever since. I didn't know it belonged to Sage or he got himself sick because of it."

Derek shook his head. "Sagebrush loves newly falling or fallen snow can't get enough of it. He got away from Sage while on a short walk and Sage the stubborn idiot that he is kept the search going even after he was soaking wet." Saber growled a little knowing his brother was actually talking about an incident that had happened years ago. "You have no idea…" Derek had started, getting choked up as he rested a hand on Macy's shoulder in gratitude, his eyes watery with tears as well.

"I… No problem… He…" Macy was at a loss for words. These people were so obviously Sab...Sagebrush's owners that she couldn't even question how they'd found him all the way out here. She'd spent enough time with Sagebrush to know his behavior with them was out of character when compared to other strangers.

"I have, um, I have his vet papers?" Macy's voice sounded higher than normal and there was a lump growing in her throat that was making it hard to swallow and an ache in her chest that had started to squeeze. They were too busy in their reunion to pay attention to her so she walked like a zombie to the folder of follow up instructions and walked them back to the door in a state of shock.

"Thanks," Derek said with a bro-like slap to her arm, none of it feeling quite like she'd expected this scenario to go. Mrs. MacTire was already leading Sagebrush out to their SUV, unbuckling his collar before helping him into the backseat.

"That's how he got lost in the first place," Tommy mumbled angrily as he watched the scene, swallowing back the loss of not even being able to say goodbye.

"Don't know how we could ever repay you, thanks again," Derek was already halfway back to the SUV, throwing them a small wave before climbing in. With a crunch of tires and the rev of the engine, they were beyond his line of sight before they had even cleared his driveway.

The family stood with their door wide open in shock for longer than they could even recall. Sagebrush had become such a part of their life that they weren't even sure what to do with themselves. Mr. Monroe soon led them in and back to the kitchen table. The latch of the door closing seemed to echo in the now empty house and the silence was immediately deafening. Sagebrush hadn't even been a loud animal but just his presence in the house had filled the spaces they hadn't even realized were empty until he was gone again.

For once, Macy and Tommy didn't say anything. Not even Tommy was his usual happy self. The two Monroe kids were just too upset to even talk.

Mr. Monroe sighed. "Kids I know it's upsetting but we knew this could happen. Let's be thankful that Sagebrush's owners found him and that we know the people, then you might be able to see him again.

"Yeah. I guess that's some good news. And you're right," Macy shrugged, still not smiling as she left.

"Tommy...maybe Sage will let you use Sagebrush in the race if he's feeling well enough." Mrs. Monroe offered.

"Maybe..." Tommy muttered.

Macy wandered around the house at a loss until she finally found herself on the couch staring at the TV without registering what was on. Lunch came and went and then it was time for supper but she wasn't hungry neither was Tommy who sat glumly on the floor. It didn't seem to matter when there wasn't a certain someone to cook for, when someone else wasn't relying on them to keep them fed.

Her whole body still felt cold and eventually she gave in and grabbed the closest hoodie to pull over her head. She folded her hands up inside the pocket and then looked down at where they rested over her lap. White hairs stood out against the black fabric and that was what did it.

"Dog hair everywhere," she tried to be mad but instead broke the floodgate of sobs that had been teetering on the edge all afternoon.

She missed Sagebrush so much that it felt like a hole had been punched right through her heart. Sagebrush wasn't just a dog; Sagebrush was so, so much more. She'd never met an animal that was so intuitive, that had so much personality that had made her happier than any of the success she'd had over the last few years. Her word count was higher than any other time frame and he knew it was the comfort of having Sagebrush beside her that had kept her motivated to plow through. She wasn't distracted and looking for any excuse for human interaction, any chance to go out. Sagebrush had filled that anxiety she'd always had about being alone. She didn't do well on her own.

Her sobbed racked through her body until she had nothing left. She ended up curled on the dog bed full of white hairs, sniffling pathetically until she finally passed out.

* * *

Sage was exhausted, there was no other way to put it. After his mom and his brother had shown up at Macy's door, the rest of the day had been nonstop. He appreciated the enthusiasm his family had for his return but after the 350th hug, he just wanted his own house, his own bed, his own shower.

God, his shower had been heavenly. He stood under the hot water until his skin was pink and his fingers were wrinkled. Showering had been something he hadn't even realized he'd missed so much until the water was cascading down his body. He'd missed his comfy clothes, as well. His sweats and worn out tees felt so soft against his skin and he crawled into bed while his body was still shower warm and his hair was still damp. The sheets were crisp and cool and he star fished out over the whole mattress, taking full advantage of his human form.

He laid there with eyes burning and heavy limbs waiting for sleep to take him but it stayed just beyond his reach. He'd grown used to having the sound of another breathing beside him, a warmth not far away.

Macy and Tommy started to creep back into his mind after he'd pushed them away for most of the day. The elation over seeing his mom had been so overwhelming he hadn't even given them any type of goodbye or thanks for everything he'd done for him. Not only did he feel like an idiot but he also felt guilty for sneaking away from him the way that he had. To Macy he hadn't been a person, he'd been a pet he'd grown attached to and Sage had essentially run away from her with a suddenness that probably stung.

The next day, Macy and Tommy were back to their own schools. They both were still feeling depressed to a point that they weren't focusing that much during classes.

Sage walked down to the lunch room where he instantly noticed Macy sitting glumly at a table.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Huh?" Macy looked to noticed Sage. "Oh, not really. Go ahead."

Sage took a seat with a smile. "I wanted to thank you for taking good care of my dog. He's like a brother to me."

Macy gave her best smile. "Yeah. It's the least we could do. Sage, I'm really sorry that I caused you to end up sick in finding him. I didn't know," she looked down sad again. "I feel like this stupid move in is nothing but bad luck when I'm around. Maybe I should have been the one to get hit by a moving car instead of your dog."

"Hey. None of that. Look what time did you meet up with Sagebrush or leave your house?"

"It was past four because my brother accidentally forgot his homework at school," Macy answered, dreading the memory. "So, we drove before the snow became worse and tried hurrying back. That's when your dog showed up."

"I lost Sagebrush at 3:30, so it wasn't your fault. It just happened and no one ended up worse for wear than a few bruises and a sick spell. We're all alive and should be happy about it." Sage replied placing a hand on top of hers.

"I guess," Macy shrugged, still not feeling better. "If you ask me, my visit here has only made me feel worse. I thought I found happiness, but I was only fooling myself."

"Hey come on now. I'm sure you had some fun, Sagebrush tends to bring smiles with him"

"I noticed. He sure made my little brother smile. Tommy and his friends even tried taking down the posters I set up all over town for anyone missing your dog. Along with their crazy nonsense theories about Sagebrush being a Wolfblood."

Despite repeating these dumb moments, Macy couldn't help but actually miss them.

Sage smiled. "He's an unusual one that's for sure...so you going to the race next week?"

"I was. But now, I don't think I'm up for that anymore," Macy answered glumly. "Tommy was debating on asking you about having Sagebrush be part of the race. But even he's still unsure on participating."

Sage smiled a thought coming to mind. "You know I don't mind at all. It could be my way of saying thank you. I'll have my brother drop Sagebrush off the day before the race. I'd do it myself but I have to head out of town for some business."

"I guess that would be a nice surprise for Tommy. I'll be sure to have my brother not quit on this race,"

"Since the race is on a Saturday, how about Sagebrush stays for the weekend? I can pick him up on Monday."

"That might work," Macy smiled a little.

"Now there's a smile and a beautiful one at that." Sage said with a smile.

Macy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm only smiling because I'm agreeing with your idea on Tommy doing the race and letting him have his fun with Sagebrush for the weekend.

"I mean it...you're really beautiful inside and out."

It was at moment that Macy noticed something when she looked into Sage's eyes a kind of warm that seemed misplaced as if it belonged somewhere or to someone else.

"Uh...Thanks,"

"What time should Derek drop of Sagebrush?"

"No that should be fine. Hey I got to go, but I'll talk to you again soon." Sage said getting up and leaving abruptly.

"See ya around," Macy muttered, actually feeling a bit better than before.

* * *

A week later and Tommy was waiting anxiously by the front window bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Is he really coming?! Is he, is he, is he?!" Tommy asked with excitement.

"For crying out loud, of course, he is," Macy groaned, as if this wasn't a big deal. "Will you calm down?"

Soon a familiar SUV pulled into the driveway, Derek stepped out of the car and went to the passenger doors where a familiar white furry face hopped out.

"He's here! Saber's back!" Tommy exclaimed happily.

"You mean Sagebrush. But yeah," Macy corrected.

"Hope you know what you're doing bro." Derek said as they walked up the drive. Sage barked before rushing to the door and scratching at the door barking happily.

Tommy immediately opened the door and came down for Sagebrush to come. "You're here! Come on, buddy! I missed you!"

Derek smiled as he watched his brother follow Tommy inside, just as Macy came to the door.

"Brought the collar you had for him and the leash." Derek said handing the two over. "My mom said she'd pick Sagebrush up on Monday. Seems Sage is going to be late."

"So I've heard. Thanks for letting us have Sagebrush for the weekend. Tommy has really been looking forward to this," Macy replied.

Derek smiled. "Eh to be honest that guy has been a bit out of sorts since we brought him home. Have fun, my Dad will be presiding over the race tomorrow. Good luck."

Derek shook Macy's hand before leaving. Coming back into the house Macy found Sage cuddled up on the couch with Tommy watching America's Funniest Home Videos.

"Glad to see things are back to a good start," Macy said, already sitting next to Sagebrush and petting him Sage nuzzled her hand licking her fingers gently.

Macy let out a small giggle. "Hey, quit it! That tickles!"

Sage gave a wolf smirk getting up and licking around her neck and face tail wagging happily as he pushed her to where she was laying on the couch.

"Eeeeeahahahahahahahahaha! Stahahahahap!" Macy dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, trying to push Sagebrush off her but couldn't.

Sage licked around her face more licking her cheeks and along her jaw before settling on her neck.

"Get off meheeheeheehee! Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Macy pleaded, her eyes tearing up from laughing so much.

Sage licked her eyes free of the tears before pulling back and abruptly attacking Tommy's neck and face.

"Hey! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Sahahahahahahaber! Nohohohohoho!" Tommy was in a fit of giggles now, hugging his tummy.

Sage moved down attacking the kid's stomach with his tongue gently nipping it with his teeth. That caused Tommy to shriek and dissolve into louder laughter. It tickled so badly for him. After a few minutes Sage stopped sniffed the air then hopped down and headed for the kitchen his tail acting all sorts of cocky. Macy was at the kitchen preparing something yummy for Sage. For once, she was happy to do this again.

Mr. Monroe stepped in and grinned. "Okay how is it that the dog eats the good stuff and I'm stuck on vegetarian?"

Mrs. Monroe chuckled. "Because you need to watch your cholesterol."

"And Sagebrush doesn't seem so keen on the dog food products we bought for him. He seems more into natural foods like this," Macy reasoned.

Sage barked and reached for a piece of steak and bacon on the edge of the counter.

"Hey, patience, mister! You'll have your meal as soon as I'm finished," Macy replied.

Sage whined and gave her puppy dog eyes as he thumped his tail on the ground ears pressed to his head.

"Hey, no puppy dog eyes. It's not happening," Macy replied. Sage huffed and turned around heading for the living room again.

"I may miss him, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be a pushover," Macy remarked.

The parents chuckled as they all sat down to eat their dinner, Sage and Tommy joining them quickly.

* * *

Later that night Sage laid beside Macy as she flipped through photos on her computer.

"I'm glad you're back, Sagebrush. Things really weren't the same without you," Macy replied.

Sage looked up at Macy and cocked his head before looking at the computer showing Macy with two other girls in front of the Empire State Building.

Noticing Sagebrush's curious look on the computer, Macy answered, "Those are my friends back in New York. The blonde girl with blue eyes is Tina, and the redhead with glasses his her older sister Amy. They're the Fitzpatrick Sisters."

Sage sniffed at the computer accidently moving to the next picture which showed the three in the Central Park all smiling and laughing Tina with a pasta salad on her head, Amy with a meat sauce on her glasses, and Macy with a banana peel on her head. Cocking his head again Sage looked at Macy curiously.

"Yeah, my brother finished doing a crazy skateboard move that ended with our lunch toasted on our heads," Macy admitted, chuckling at the memory. "We had to laugh at how funny that was and commemorate it with a selfie."

Sage noticed small tears escaping Macy's eyes and gave a whine nuzzling her wrist.

"Oh, sorry about that. I just...really miss my friends...And New York," Macy answered, using her hand to dry her tears off her face. "I know I promised dad about giving our new home a chance, but it still feels hard being here. I had better memories and moments at New York. Being here...Well, let's just saw before you, they were not the best times."

Sage nuzzled her hand before getting up and hopping off the bed and heading down the hall soon returning with his empty food dish on his head tail wagging happily.

"I think I spoke too soon," Macy joked, already getting up and making her way to the kitchen.

Sage barked with a smile as he followed her to the kitchen where they found Mr. Monroe getting out the ice cream.

"Dad, are you sneaking dessert from mom?...Again?" Macy asked.

Mr. Monroe stared at Sage annoyed. "You outed me even after I gave you a pork chop."

Sage just shrugged his shoulders and nudged the bottom of the vanilla ice cream tub.

"Hey, I didn't know. I thought he wanted something to eat after giving me his doggie dish," Macy defended, raising her hands up.

Mr. Monroe sighed grabbing another bowl and scooping ice cream into it and into the dog dish. "Hot fudge, caramel?"

Macy gave a tiny glare at Sagebrush. "You sneaky dog,"

Sage shrugged before going to his ice cream.

Mr. Monroe gave a large dollop of both into his daughters dish before stepping adding to his own then began eating.

"Don't worry. I won't say anything to mom, if you won't," Macy assured

Mr. Monroe smiled. "You and Tommy are a lot more chipper...since Sagebrush came."

"Yeah. Sagebrush may not be our dog, but he definitely brings the best in both of us," Macy admitted.

"Macy...I know it won't be Sagebrush but...what do you think about us getting a dog?" Mr. Monroe asked

"I'm not sure. I don't think there might be any better than Sagebrush," Macy shrugged.

"Honey have you been trying like I asked?"

"Of course, I have,"

"And how has that been going...friends, hobbies, new places to eat?"

"Well, I'm able to see Sage again. And there is this music club that seems interesting. And Sage has been showing me the different hangout places," Macy replied.

Mr. Monroe smiled. "Yet you still don't feel like you're at home?"

"We've been here for nearly a month. What do you think?"

"Macy watch the attitude." Mr. Monroe warned.

"Sorry, dad. Wasn't trying to be rude," Macy apologized

"Water under the bridge just be more careful. So tell me more about Sage...BANG"

Macy and Mr. Monroe turned to Sage finding him with his bowl flipped onto his head and ice cream dripping down onto his fur. Two seconds passed before the father and daughter began laughing.

"Well, I'm not sure about Sage, but his dog seems to making things more interesting than Tommy," Macy laughed.

"Looks like someone needs a bath." Mr. Monroe said with a smile. Sage growled and whined his head dropping dramatically.

"Hey, you did this to yourself. No way are we gonna leave you dirty," Macy remarked, folding her arms. "Just ask Tommy."

Sage grumbled but headed towards the bathroom the bowl still on his head.

"AAAAAHHHH. SAGEBRUSH WHERE'D YOU GET ICE CREAM? UHH YOU'RE GETTING IT ALL OVER ME." Tommy's voice shouted

Macy let out a loud laugh when hearing that. "This day keeps getting better and better."

* * *

After a warm bath and a night of peaceful rest the Monroe family were hustling and bustling around the next morning as they prepared for the exciting day.

"Macy do you have the hot lunch and drinks?" Mrs. Monroe called.

"Sure do, mom!" Macy called out.

"Tommy don't forget your hat and mittens and your scarf." Mrs. Monroe said urgently.

Sage watched all the hustle and bustle from the couch relaxed and not minding the odd show before him.

"I'm already putting them on!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Did you put on your long underwear it's going to be cold?" Mr. Monroe called.

"Yes, dad! I know!"

"Alright Monroe crew we are out of here in five minutes, bathroom, food and pack up." Mr. Monroe shouted before heading out to warm up the car.

"Already ahead of you, dad," Macy replied, taking out the lunches.

Sage smirked as the whole family walked out the door not noticing that they had left something important behind...him. Giving a yawn Sage counted back from twenty as he listened to their sudden realization on what they forgot and peddled back to the house only getting as far as the end of the block.

"3...2...1" Sage opened one eye finding Macy looking sheepish. "Forget something?" Sage asked through a look.

"Oh, shut up. Just come on," Macy replied.

Sage smirked walking with swagger as he got down and headed out to the car.

Sage and Tommy ended up coming in first place. Tommy and Macy had ended up hugging Sage to within an inch of his life. After gaining their trophy and medal Mr. Monroe took them home where he cooked a big meal giving Sage piece of steak and bacon for a job well done. Later that night while everyone was in bed Sage decided it was time to give a true thank you to Macy and Tommy.


	5. From Dog to Wolf, From Wolf to Werewolf

It was nearly 2 in the morning when Sage had finally let everything fester enough that it was too hard to ignore. Getting up Sage silently slipped out from Macy's bed and headed to the door where he carefully opened the slider then after locking it and shifted back to wolf form on the other side. Carefully Sage moved to Macy's window and threw snow balls at the window till he heard Macy stir. Shifting to wolf form Sage sat down tail wagging. He watched as Macy drew her drapes and opened the window

"Sagebrush? What are you doing outside? How'd you...oh go to the door and I'll let you in" her voice sounded racked with sleep  
He padded into the house a few moments later and waited until Macy had latched the door shut before shifting up.

"Hi."

Macy nearly screamed when hearing a voice behind her and tried throwing a punch.

Sage covered her mouth and held her tight.

"Macy it's me...Sage calm down I'm not going to hurt you. Now I'm going to let you go if you promise not to scream and let me explain. Do you promise?" Macy nodded her head.

"What the heck," Macy whispered, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry. I didn't know if there was a more… subtle… way to do that," he looked down, blushing a bit.

"I'm in one of those stress dreams again aren't I." Sage watched as she pinched herself on the arm several times and he couldn't help but laugh softly.

"No, 'fraid not. I'm as real as you can get," he offered a small smile, suddenly feeling shy now that the conversations weren't just one sided.

"Why did you…" Macy stared at him with confusion and Sage could practically see the puzzle pieces shifting into place in her head, "Why? For over a month…?"

"I couldn't shift," he shrugged, "I couldn't figure it out at first but it was the pins. They kept me from being able to shift."

"I don't believe it...Tommy and his friends were right," Macy muttered, not sure if she just said that.

"I, um, sneaked into your dad's office last night and sent them an email with your address," he chewed on his lip and searched for the right way to explain himself but he knew none of it sounded right. "I'm sorry. I thought that maybe if you thought my real owners had found me that it would be better than you thinking I ran away or something. I'm… This is kind of against the rules. Not kind of, it IS against the rules and I thought that would be the best way but then I just got so excited to see my mom again that I didn't even say goodbye and… yeah." He raised his hands in a sort of shrug and then let them drop, ready for Macy tell him off.

"Oh my god, this means I hit a person why my car," Macy groaned, "You're gonna sue me aren't you?"

"I find it odd that THAT is what you're focusing on right now," Sage smiled and led them both back to the couch that was so familiar yet seemed so different now.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to focus on," Macy shook her head, flopping down onto the sofa in a heap.

"This whole time, my life just went from terrible to just plain weird,"

"You don't have to focus on anything," Sage shrugged and it was all too natural for his body to gravitate towards Macy's, "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did to take care of me."

"I'm the one who did it in the first place," Macy swallowed and Sage could tell she still struggled with the guilt of the accident.

"If it wasn't you it would have been someone else. It was my fault honestly for not paying attention. But you could have left me on the side of the road, but you didn't. Thank you."

He rested his forehead against Macy's temple and maybe it seemed a little too affectionate for his human form but he only knew how to be a pet with Macy. Macy didn't seem to mind, either, pulling him in closer for a hug that lasted long enough to be considered a cuddle.

"Don't run away on me again, please?" Macy asked, her words mumbled and pressed against his cheek.

"I won't," Sage whispered and he realized it was the only promise he ever wanted to keep.

"Sage...thanks for making my time here more interesting,"

Sage smiled softly. "Your welcome, do you have any questions?"

"I don't even know where to start,"

Sage smiled. "Well I guess first off my kind aren't blood thirsty monsters. Silver doesn't work on us and we can change anytime really the full moon just makes us stronger."

"Right. So this whole Wolfblood thing. Is any of it true?"

Sage cocked his head. "Is what true?"

"What my brother told me earlier when first finding the legend of Wolfbloods,"

"Oh that...most of it's true. It's at least the narrative version."

"So, what's the actual truth behind that legend?"

Sage smiled. "Truly a male wolf fell in love with a female woman she grew to love each other. One day the wolf while out hunting got killed by a shot gun while looking for food. When he returned he found his mate unconscious and their newly arrived pups."

"Yikes," Macy cringed a bit.

"Apparently a man from the woman's village was jealous of the wolf and tried to take the woman but she refused ended up falling and hitting her head on a rock. The wolf wanted revenge so he asked the Earth Mother to change him into a man. She agreed and soon a wolf inhuman form was traveling in search of an abuser. It was later after days of travel that he traveled he found the man on the side of the ditch apparently beaten to near death by bandits.

The wolf took pity on him and brought him and ended up treating him for his wounds. The man asked. "Why help me and not hate me."

The wolf said "Because I'm not like you."

"Wow...That's deep,"

Sage shrugged. "Anyway over the years my kind have just been around. People think we go back as the first hominids."

"What got them thinking that?" Macy questioned.

"Well no one really knows how old wolfblood kind is some speculate we came and were the actual first dogs that befriended human kind."

"Sounds like you have some interesting good tales on your history,"

"Well you know the statue of Balto in Central Park, what if I told you that he was a Wolfblood?"

"Now that's something," Macy remarked

"There are a few Bloods that stay in animal form and stay close to people to help them."

"Like how you stayed as one with my family?"

"Yeah in a way. Sometimes like in the story or legend a Blood will fall in love and they have kids. Just depends on the people."

"Something tells me it is nothing like those wolf romance novels my friends and I usually read,"

Sage chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

"How so?"

"Some of those romance novels were built on real life."

"No way!"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly."

"You can't be serious! There is no possible way that those books were actually based on real life Wolfblood stuff," Macy asked astonished

"Oh you know that scene where that girl is about to get torn apart by a mountain lion and a brown werewolf saves her?"

"That was real?!" Macy exclaimed

"Mmm hmm yep. Like in the scene girl was a wildlife photographer and accidently got too close to a mountain lions cubs. The wolfblood was a guy she had bought gas from and well as they say the rest is history." Sage replied with a half-smile.

"Unbelievable. And I can only imagine how the next wolf romance will go. A teen girl who accidentally ran over a wolfblood and keeps him nurtured for a month,"

Sage laughed shaking his head. "Na I'm not interested in getting this experience published. It's going to stay between us."

Macy sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Because that first meet was absolutely terrible. No offense."

Sage waved his hand casually. "None taken. Have to say though I like you smiling better than frowning."

Macy rolled her eyes, lightly blushing. "Whatever."

"No not whatever, Macy you have a beautiful smile and when you and Tommy are smiling it makes everyone happy." Sage said taking both Macy's hands into her own.

Now Macy felt her cheeks burning more and more. "Uh..."

Sage smiled. "You know I'd like to hang out with the two of you more, in either form...I like hanging out even if it's just to look at photos."

"R-Really?" Macy asked.

"Yeah...I actually wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"Well...I was wondering if maybe I could take you out on a date sometime. Maybe go bowling or to the movies."

"...Sure!" Macy replied.

Sage smiled. "Umm...would it be okay if I hugged you?"

Macy nodded her head.

Sage carefully wrapped his arms around Macy and pulled her to his chest. As he held her Macy could hear the familiar thump of Sage's heart proving that the person that made her happy and at ease was really there.

For once, Macy didn't want this moment to end. It felt right to her, for some reason.

Sage pulled back gently. "Macy I have to ask you for something and it's important that you do so."

"What is it?" Macy asked

Sage held stern yet concerned eyes as he looked into Macy's. "You must not ever tell anyone about me. Not your brother, mother, father...not anyone. It's dangerous what I just did, however, I did it for you."

Macy nodded her head understanding. "Don't worry. I won't say a word."

Sage smiled as he watched Macy yawn. "I think we should head back to bed...that is if you still don't mind me sharing it in my wolf form?"

"Not at all. I honestly don't mind at all," Macy replied.

Sage smiled changing to wolf form and following Macy back to bed. After they settled down Sage laid awake after Macy had drifted off feeling her hand on his back fingers curled onto his fur as if worried he would disappear. Sage's tail thumped a little as he listened to Macy's small even breathing in was like a lullaby. A few minutes later Sage began to think as his eyes slowly shut what his life would be like now with Macy beside him. Adventures, romance, heartache, thrills, and chills and it all started when the Monroe's claimed a werewolf for a pet.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed. Please leave reviews but no flames please. Have a Howlin' Good Day!**


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